Towards the end of February we went to the Kakao Friends Concept Museum in Hongdae (Seoul). It’s is part Art Gallery and part Museum. It’s soul focus is the Kakao Friends, 8 different characters that originally were just Emojis for KakaoTalk. These characters are now everywhere and on tonnes of products. The 3 floors of shop above the Museum was packed on a Thursday lunchtime, proving their popularity.
The Concept Museum is in the basement of the same building and access is only possible via prior booking. Tickets cost 3,000won, however you receive a coupon for equal value. The current exhibition will end on May 28th 2017, after that it will change to something more Summer focused. Here are our thoughts;
Five Positives:
(+) Very cute with no empty spaces.
(+) Features concept drawing and insights into the Kakao Friends creation.
(+) Pretty quiet and not crowded.
(+) Super clean, tidy and well managed.
(+) Easy to find Central Location in Hongdae.
Five Negatives:
(-) Small. You can see it all within 15mins (maybe less).
(-) Not very interactive.
(-) The 3,000won coupon (ticket price) buys basically nothing in the gift shop.
(-) The required prior booking isn’t simple for non-Koreans.
(-) Limited (and busy) Photo Spots.
Overall if you like the Kakao Friends then it’s a fun little place to go during a trip to Hongdae, and it’s not going to break the bank. However if you don’t like or care about Kakao then there’s no reason to go, just pop into the store.
Pictures from the Kakao Friends Concept Museum
Here are some pictures from the Kakao Friends Concept Museum, warning spoilers;
Kakao Friends Concept Museum Key Links, Location Map and Directions
For more information and online bookings (Korean & English) click here: http://kfmuseum.com/en/etc/introduction
Directions: It’s easy to find along the main street by Hongik Station (Subway Line 2). Exit 8 or 9, do a U-Turn and the store/museum is easy to spot.
Finally
As always if you have any questions about the Kakao Friends Museum and/or anything else please feel free to let us know. Either below by Email or via Twitter or Facebook.
Tim & Jeonghye
Modern Seoul
tim@modernseoul.org
Modern Seoul 